Ian Black notice of complaint

[Zappa 0]

Just reading Andy Gorum writing in the Sun today about how SFA staff used to place bets for him and other lads on Scotland duty.

 

When I played for Scotland an SFA staff member and one of the coaching staff used to place bets for the players on their own accounts.

 

We would obviously be training or preparing for an important match so it was not easy to just nip out to the bookies.

 

Sometimes Davie Cooper and I would jump into a taxi and head into Girvan as we were usually based on the Ayrshire coast, but more often than not we could not get out.

 

So these two members of the SFA’s own staff used to place the bets for us.

 

Most people did not even have an account with the bookies so these two lads were invaluable to the players.

[Zappa 0]

Ah, you beat me to it dB!

[calscot 0]

Rules aside, I can't see how anyone can morally defend betting on their own team for anything other than a plain win. Perhaps a keeper could bet on a clean sheet but that's about it. As soon as you start betting on scores and scorers, you have the ability to play differently to try and influence the outcome.

 

Say Ally betted on himself to score or even score first? So what you think - well he could easily take a few, very difficult shots on goal instead of squaring for an easy goal. If he's bet on someone else then he may never shoot and not pass to anyone else. If he's bet on 3-0 then he may pass back to defence all the time when that scoreline is achieved.

 

That could affect the outcome of the game which while sometimes it won't matter in the league title, will always matter to other betting punters.

 

I don't think players should be able to bet on any games in competitions they are in - it's just not right. I really don't know why they need to or want to.

[der Berliner 3,234]

Obviously, the beaks and many others will ask themselves where "betting" ends and "match fixing" begins. (And I wouldn't be surprised if Black will be a showcase for the latter.)

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Obviously, the beaks and many others will ask themselves where "betting" ends and "match fixing" begins. (And I wouldn't be surprised if Black will be a showcase for the latter.)

 

As I have said several times in this thread there is a fine line between betting against your own team and match fixing; and UEFA are hot on the tails of the latter.

 

I am sure there are those at the SFA who would love to be able to say to UEFA "we got one" (and banned him for life?).

[calscot 0]

It's difficult to say what a players mind set is on a game even if he bet a fiver. A professional athlete is by nature very competitive and have an innate desire to win. There is a good chance that even subconsciously they want to win their bet, no matter how small.

 

A fictional reference is Trading Places, where the bet was a dollar. Sometimes rich people take token bets more seriously as it's a matter of principle above money, which when you have loads of it, becomes a bit meaningless.

[calscot 0]

As I have said several times in this thread there is a fine line between betting against your own team and match fixing; and UEFA are hot on the tails of the latter.

 

I am sure there are those at the SFA who would love to be able to say to UEFA "we got one" (and banned him for life?).

 

I suppose there are two schools of thought here:

 

1) Take your scapegoat and hammer them to show a very stern example to discourage future breaking of the rules.

 

2) Take him and wrap him on the knuckles but say, we're now warning you that the NEXT case will be hammered so heads up, then increase the penalties for breaking the rules.

 

Number 1 makes a bigger statement but number 2 is fairer when the law has not been strictly enforced before - ie it's a fair warning.

[bossy 0]

Footballer turned journalist Gordon Parks claims he knows of several senior games in Scotland that were fixed to rake in gambling winnings.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23808606?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

This can of worms is well and truly open now. The SFA may come to regret not handling this more discretely.

[rbr 1,247]

I have been told that a senior ladbrokes director called Michael O'kane has a lot to do with Black being grassed up

[BrahimHemdani 1]

I suppose there are two schools of thought here:

 

1) Take your scapegoat and hammer them to show a very stern example to discourage future breaking of the rules.

 

2) Take him and wrap him on the knuckles but say, we're now warning you that the NEXT case will be hammered so heads up, then increase the penalties for breaking the rules.

 

Number 1 makes a bigger statement but number 2 is fairer when the law has not been strictly enforced before - ie it's a fair warning.

 

I think I am correct in saying that the case will be heard by an "Independent" Panel or Tribunal or at least there is an appeal to an independent tribunal. If you were a member of the panel and found him guilty of betting against his own team, what would you do? How much would the amount of the bet weigh in your decision?